Thomspon School District awaits proposals for new school

If approved, officials hope it would be built in 12-18 months and open as early as August 2014

By Jessica Maher Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
01/23/2013 09:25:36 PM MST

As the Thompson School District awaits proposals from architects and engineers for the design of a new school, the board of education on Wednesday discussed the implications of an innovative learning academy that officials hope could open as early as next summer.

Last month, the board of education voted to revive a project that parents and community members had started planning in 2008 before the district shelved the proposal due to economic conditions.

An RFQ package for the project has been advertised since Jan. 11 and proposals are due Jan. 31.

If approved following receipt of the proposals, the school would operate in collaboration with the High Plains Environmental Center and could focus on environmental stewardship, sustainability and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

"This school is a regional opportunity for us," Superintendent Stan Scheer said.

The school would be located in the Centerra area, where Michael Jones, assistant superintendent of human resources and school support, said that projections indicate that there will be 2,000 students in that area in the next seven to 15 years from upcoming development.

So technically, as board member Leonard Sherman pointed out, the school will be there before the students are there. But that's only if the district goes with traditional boundary options.

Scheer said the new school should open a discussion about the district's overall boundary system and the need to compete with surrounding school districts.

"Hopefully as a result of this project, it will help us in actually sharpening our focus on some things," he said.

District officials have begun to discuss making the High Plains Environmental Academy a school of choice and what that might mean for surrounding schools.

Jones said the project could provide the opportunity to re-purpose a district building, spurring a conversation of a potential vocational technology center for the district.

"We've come up with some different, out-of-the-box thinking that's riding on this project," Jones said.

The funding for the design of the school, which is currently proposed as a K-8 facility, is finite. It would come from the tax incremental financing (TIF) in the Centerra metropolitan taxing district, a fund that has currently more than $4 million for the district's use.

That could lead the board to make some difficult decisions around the scope of the project, Jones said. If approved, officials hope it would be built in 12-18 months and open as early as August 2014.

The board could be asked to approve an architect or engineer for the project at their Feb. 20 meeting.

Board members took action on one item during Wednesday's special meeting and approved the Joint Insurance Committee's recommendation for dispersal of unused employee flexible spending account funds from 2011-12. More than $12,000 will be returned to the plan participants for a refund of $27 per person.